Photo ID: 108960 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 485 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific UP's MGJNY includes a visitor from the east today! The third unit on the manifest is a Norfolk Southern SD70ACe, #1010. Always great to catch a foreign visitor to change up the colors a bit. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108959 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS013 (West Leyden) Arvada, CO 452 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The only (regularly scheduled) manifest that UP still runs on the Moffat is a thrice weekly (each direction) MGJNY, running between North Yard in Denver and Grand Junction (and back). The train is typically called (at either yard) sometime around 7pm, so it is almost always a nighttime run. However, on occasion, the eastbound train will descend the Front Range in daylight. Such is the case here. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108958 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Leyden (7,020ft) Arvada, CO 553 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak A rather colorful P42DC, AMTK 203, leads the westbound Zephyr west on the siding at Leyden. The train will be meeting UP's eastbound MGJNY here. Fortunately, the manifest is about to knock down the signal at the west end, so the delay to Amtrak will be quite minimal. AMTK 203 is painted in a special "Operation Lifesaver" scheme, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the program. Amtrak unveiled the paint scheme about a year ago, in January 2022. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108957 Date Shot Photo By Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS013 (West Leyden) Arvada, CO 447 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Union Pacific The signal at the west end of Leyden is showing an approach signal (yellow over red). An eastbound UP manifest is approaching the signal from the west. The westbound Zephyr is about to enter the siding at the east end of Leyden to meet the manifest. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108956 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS022 (West Eiesle (Clay)) Arvada, CO 349 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Now running over seven hours, the westbound Zephyr departs Eisele (Clay) on the main. Hopefully, the train will not experience any more significant delays between here and Emeryville, CA! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108955 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Eisele (Clay) (5,780 ft) Arvada, CO 438 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak I am not entirely sure what happened (or why), but the tail end of both P42DCs on the westbound Zephyr are covered in oil! It looks like it could practically drip off or be scraped off. At least one of the units (AMTK 27) is no longer loading. It is for this reason that a BNSF ES44C4 was added in Denver, adding an additional hour delay to the already-tardy Zephyr. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108954 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Big Ten Curve (MP 19.5 to MP 20.2) Arvada, CO 406 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, BNSF The westbound Zephyr typically leaves Denver during the morning hours and is generally backlit from the morning sun. So when the Zephyr is running late, there is a chance the sun will be far enough to the west for some front lighting. Ironically, on this day, the Zephyr was so late (at over seven hours), the train was already in the shadows of the mountains by the time it reached Big Ten Loop! A BNSF ES44C4 leads the train west. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108953 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS019 (West Rocky) Arvada, CO 424 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, BNSF Both P42DCs on the westbound Zephyr have experienced some issues on the journey west. The second P42DC is no longer loading and both are covered in oil. A BNSF ES44C4 was added in Denver to assist with the climb west. The Zephyr is leaving the west end of Rocky and climbing up toward Big Ten Loop. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108952 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 402 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak, BNSF After shooting a 17 hour late eastbound Zephyr earlier this morning, I was also able to shoot a 7 hour late westbound Zephyr in the afternoon! Pretty sure it is the first time I have ever (in the Denver area) shot the eastbound Zephyr in the morning and the westbound Zephyr in the afternoon. The westbound Zephyr experienced an additional delay in Denver as a BNSF ES44C4 had to be added. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108951 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed CP DS016 (East Rocky) Arvada, CO 445 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak It is not particularly often that I get the opportunity to get shots of the eastbound Zephyr in January with this much light here at Rocky! Extreme winter weather in western states has been playing havoc on the rails and, as a result, the Zephyr is running just over 17 hours late. Hopefully, it'll have an opportunity to make up a little bit of that time on the way to Chicago. However, weather in the mid-west hasn't been great either, so making up time does not seem likely! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108950 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Rocky (7,330ft) Arvada, CO 508 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak AMTK 161 and AMTK 7 lead a (fairly typical) seven car Zephyr (not including the baggage car) east through the siding at Rocky. Due to severe winter weather in California on Donner Pass, as well as additional delays in Nevada and Utah, the Zephyr is running an astonishing 17 hours late through the snowy scene. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108949 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Little Ten Curve (MP 18.7 to MP 18.9) Arvada, CO 457 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak The eastbound Zephyr, which is already 17 hours late, must run a little slower through Rocky as it is forced on to the siding due to maintenance working on the main near the east end. Fortunately, a clear (green) signal awaits the Zephyr at the east end, so the additional delay will be very minimal. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108948 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 527 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak It is a somewhat gloomy scene just east of Tunnel 1 as a crazy late (17 hours) eastbound Zephyr crosses the Blue Mountain grade crossing. The train should have crossed this crossing around 5:30pm the previous night, but snow storms on Donner Pass have been wreaking havoc on rail traffic. This train departed Emeryville, CA seven hours late two days earlier, and lost an additional ten hours on the journey toward Denver. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108947 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 466 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak Shades of the past mix with the present as AMTK 161, sporting a version of the original Phase I "Bloody Nose" scheme (complete with the Pointless Arrow), approaches the grade crossing at Blue Mountain. Incredible that Amtrak has been roaming the rails in the United States for over half a century! Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture. Photo ID: 108946 Date Shot Photo By Tuesday, January 24, 2023 Kevin Morgan Location Times Viewed Blue Mountain Drive (MP 22.43) Arvada, CO 457 (Add a Comment) Subdivision Railroad Moffat Tunnel (UP) Amtrak As a very late eastbound Zephyr approaches the grade crossing at Blue Mountain, we can take note of the progress on the Canyon Pines neighborhood slowly being built in to the side of the mountain above the tracks in the distance. Email Questions or Comments to the Webmaster or add a comment to the picture.

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